To my associates, colleagues, and patients:

I am writing this letter to announce my retirement from my medical practice in pediatrics and genetics. I will resign from the staffs of North Suburban Pediatrics, NorthShore University Health System, Northwest Community Hospital, and Lurie Children’s Hospital. 

I have had the privilege of practicing medicine for over fifty years and have been part of an extraordinary evolution in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment in all aspects of medicine. Many of the diseases that once plagued my patients and their families have entirely disappeared or are now successfully treated. Our understanding of genetics has advanced from the time when genes were little black boxes to a thorough knowledge of what they actually are. We now have the power to modify and actually correct genes and thus effectively treat and eliminate a once-undreamt-of range of disorders. Advanced diagnostic and technical armamentaria now utilize techniques unimagined when I began my practice.

My work has given me the privilege and great pleasure to play a role in the care of generations of families. To see them, and to help them to grow and thrive have offered me the deepest gratification of my professional life. I thank each and every child and each and every parent for the opportunity to give myself to them in so many ways. 

To have worked together with my colleagues and staff past and present at North Suburban Pediatrics has enriched my experience of a collaborative and generously shared community. I will miss my daily encounter with so many talented and dedicated people. I am leaving my patients in good hands.

 

-Dr. Ira Salafsky